Invasive species threaten Myanmar’s ecosystems amid lack of effective control
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Phyo/Thet Paing (NP News) - November 19
Environmentalists point out that Myanmar is experiencing increasing damage to its ecosystems because invasive species have not yet been controlled.
Most of these invasive species did not invade on their own, but were brought from abroad by some people as ornamental animals, and were later released into the wild without any regulations, further damaging the ecosystem, according to environmentalists.
“People think of invasive species as just fish. That’s not the case. All animals and plants that were not previously present in this region are invasive species. Because of this, species that were already present in our country are gradually disappearing. Agriculture and livestock are also affected every year,” said an environmentalist.
Invasive species such as eucalyptus absorb excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphate, calcium, and potassium from water, which can lead to shortages of nutrients and water for other plant species. Likewise, invasive fish species such as the suckermouth catfish are causing annual losses in the fish-farming industry. The invasive golden apple snail is also causing significant damage to agricultural crops. Environmental experts say these are just a few examples, and many similar impacts are still occurring.
“Our country is still underdeveloped, so we tend to take some things lightly and do them without much thought. While other countries were working hard to eradicate invasive species, we were importing foreign species, thinking they were cute or exotic. Importing them isn’t the problem. The real problem is not knowing how to dispose of them responsibly when we can no longer keep them. We must be careful not to damage our nation’s ecosystem because of our own actions,” the environmental expert said.
An invasive species is one that is not native to an ecosystem but has been introduced from other regions and has subsequently become established, causing negative impacts on human health, biodiversity, animals, agriculture, and the economy. Environmentalists estimate that there are currently at least 50 invasive species in Myanmar that have arrived from abroad.